MILWAUKEE, Wis. – As Wisconsinites struggle to pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads, a new report from MeidasTouch outlines how one of MAGA Congressman Tom Tiffany’s wealthy donors has been covering his rent, while his campaign has spent more than $70,000 on private air travel in just two months. Meanwhile, David Crowley is the only candidate in this race with a plan to lower the cost or rent for the one in three Wisconsin households that are renting.

While a donor was footing the bill, Tiffany skipped the vote on the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act,  which included limits on Wall Street buying up single-family homes.

David Crowley’s Fair Deal for Wisconsin Renters will protect renters from greedy and unfair landlords and college students from unreasonable leasing situations. Crowley’s plan also includes a Student Renters Bill of Rights to prevent landlords in Wisconsin’s college towns from pressuring students to sign year-long leases and put down deposits in the fall for housing they won’t move into until the next year and require safeguards for campus housing.

What they’re saying:

MeidasTouch: Tom Tiffany’s Campaign Reports a Donor Covered His Rent, as His Campaign Spends Over $70,000 on Private Planes

  • Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany is running for governor of Wisconsin on a promise to bring down costs for working families. But his own campaign finance records show that while many Wisconsinites struggle to cover rent, a donor has been covering his, and his campaign has spent tens of thousands of dollars on private air travel and meals at exclusive clubs.
  • According to Tiffany’s state campaign finance filings, Mike Heise, president of the modular home builder Wisconsin Homes, has given Tiffany’s campaign a series of $1,800 in-kind contributions labeled as “apartment rent.”
  • Meanwhile, as a member of Congress, Tiffany did not vote on the Housing for the 21st Century Act, a major bipartisan bill designed to expand the housing supply and modernize federal housing programs. The bill passed the House 390-9 in February. According to congressional records, Tiffany also missed a May vote on the House’s amended version of the legislation, which passed 396-13 and included limits on large institutional investors buying up single-family homes.
  • Tiffany’s September campaign finance report shows his campaign spent more than $70,000 on candidate travel with private aviation companies in August and September alone.
  • Several of the companies are tied to donors who also gave the campaign in-kind contributions for flights. Records show Philip Mattison, whose company Core Products shares an address with Matt’s Cat’s LLC, contributed $3,650 in airfare. Daniel Burkwald, founder of Burkwald & Associates, contributed $2,592 in airfare, and Kirk Zastrow, the registered agent for Kirk Air, contributed $1,700. Altogether, donors covered about $7,942 of Tiffany’s air travel in addition to what the campaign paid directly.
  • The same report shows Tiffany’s campaign spent $3,877 on two meal expenses at private clubs in September: $2,251 at Racine Country Club, which bills itself as “the premier private club in Southeast Wisconsin,” and $1,626 at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee, which advertises “the ultimate private club experience.”

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